Change.

Chapter 6

For the past few days, Jo has been helping me feel a whole lot better. The tea she's been giving me had small doses of magic drink inside, slowly healing my back, so I won't be overwhelmed right after I transformed. The skin around my wings have fully healed, its as good as new. It feels like they're normal, the wings, like they have been a part of me forever, even though they haven't. It feels so natural.

Jo walked into my room with a potion in her hand, it looks pink and has a strange glow, almost like strawberry milk. 

"Mornin!" She smiles "Ready to have your first potion? Mum said it would help heal you fully, and help awaken your 'internal power' within you."

We both laugh together, even through odd times, we're still best friends. Jo hands me the potion and I mess around with it, like a kid trying not to take their medicine.

"Drink it! Go on! It smells funny, but it tastes great." Jo winks at me as I unscrew the cork.

It smells like rotten fruit... but I trust Jo. I chugged the drink as fast as I could.

"At first it tasted like vomit... but then it tasted like raspberry milk!" I play-punch Jo in the shoulder. "You said it tasted good!" I stick my tongue out at her as she play-punches me back.  We both laugh together, and Jo gets up after a bit and grabs the bottle. "Get some comfortable clothes on. We're going to start testing your powers in the back yard." Jo tosses a tank top toward me, it looks almost like light armor, with a gap in the back, where I assumed my wings would go.

I gets me about ten minutes to get fully changed, odd top and everything. By the time I grab some food and head out, Jo and her mom are outside in the yard, just finishing setting up targets and weapons. 

The back yard itself is not the largest, only about a half an acre. However, it is very private. Surrounded by thick bushes, tall oaks, and flowers, it is almost like being in an outdoor room. Early afternoon light piercing through the leaves and almost highlighting the targets. All of the outdoor furniture looks like it is grown from the ground, a swinging chair suspended by vines, and plenty of chairs that look like they are plants. It's like stepping into a whole other world. 

"I'm ready to start! What do we do first?" Mum, or Jo's mother, comes toward me and leads me to a chair that looks like it's made of tree roots. She sits across from me, and Jo stands behind her.

"There are many types of fairies, and although it is usually hereditary, your power can depend on who you are as a person. The type you are can depend on what abilities you can use and learn to control." She smiles at me kindly, and keeps going. 

"Common fairies, such as Fire, Water, Earth, and Air fairies, control the elements. Rare abilities, such as Light and Darkness, control illumination or shadows. Special abilities, such as Dream, Flesh, and Luck, only few have, and are not hereditary. Flesh magic is healing and shape shifting, Luck is of chance and myth, and Dream magic is of thoughts and dreams. Depending on if you are good or evil, depends on your abilities, and what you decide to do with them. They evolve and grow as you do." 

I interrupt her before she keeps talking "What ability did my father have? And the woman who killed him? I want to know what I'm up against."

She gives me a scolding look "Now hun, I was getting to that. If someone is extremely skilled and determined enough, they can have two of these abilities. That makes them extremely dangerous." She sighs, and continues "The woman who killed your father has Dark abilities, and Dream abilities. This is a dangerous combination. She is wicked to the core, and can control the thoughts of others. She has convinced the world that she has Luck and Light abilities. Anyone who is immune to her lies gets killed." 

She shudders, and Jo puts her hands on her shoulders. Jo looks me straight in the eyes "We had to escape to the human realm, because we know the truth. We can't return to our family, if they're even still alive. We would die." Mum interrupts. "It's okay, though. It isn't so bad here. Anyway, your father had Light and Luck magic. That is why the two were to be married. Everyone believed, thanks to her, that they were the best match, because they both 'had the same abilities'. That's enough of the past. I'm sure you're excited to discover your abilities! Let's begin." She stands up and gestures toward a flower. 

Gray and dull, it doesn't seem like anything special. Jo comes next to me and puts her hand out. "Watch and learn!" the flower immediately responds to her hand, and sets aflame. A bonfire appears on the flower, and I jump backwards. The flower petals themselves turn red, with bright green leaves with a blue sheer. Jo puts her hand back down, the fire dissipates, and the flower is undamaged. the color slowly fades away as Jo turns to me, eyes wide with excitement. "Cool, huh?" I'm stunned into silence. The flower is completely normal, and the grass around it, too.

"What kind of flower even is this? H- How did it not burn??" I turn to mum for an explanation. "This is a special flower. It responds and shows what type of abilities people have. If someone has two, the effects will divide on the flower, whichever ability is dominant will show more."

Jo, still excited, pushes me toward the flower and steps back. "Your turn now! Go on!"

Hesitantly, I move my hand up and toward the flower. At first, nothing happens. I am filled with mixed feelings... Should I be happy? Disappointed? Then, as I am questioning myself, the flower starts to move. The petals slowly shimmer white, and half of them turn purple, shimmering in and out of sight. As Jo and Mum start walking closer, the white half almost explodes with white blinding light, filling the entire yard with light, and the purple petals start pulsing in and out, and the affect starts spreading down the flower and into the ground, slowly turning everything around it almost translucent.

 Shocked, Jo and Mum stumble backwards, the light is almost burning now. Jo jumps toward me and tackles me to the ground. "STOP!" she grabs both of my hands and the purple effect slowly starts returning to the flower, and the light starts to dissipate. We both start breathing heavily, shocked at what just happened. 

"So much raw power. You truly are his daughter." Mum walks over to both of us. "It will take time, but you may just be more powerful than that wicked woman herself." 

I feel my back start to tingle, as my wings start to change color slightly. The gray starts to slowly turn white, and the black trim slowly turns brighter, into a soft purple. A shine from the light through the leaves above hits the wings, and I truly see them for the first time. 

"They are beautiful wings, you should be very happy. Not many people have designs like that. Let's go inside and have some tea. I think you've had enough for one morning. We can all relax and talk." Mum leads both of us inside, and I turn back to see the flower just returning to its gray form. I can't believe that came out of me...